Clinton Retreats On Military`s Gay Ban

March 24, 1993|The New York Times

WASHINGTON -- Facing resistance from the military over his pledge to allow homosexuals to serve in the armed forces, President Clinton said for the first time on Tuesday that he would consider proposals to segregate troops by sexual orientation.

Clinton`s comments at a White House news conference contrasted sharply with his public statements during the presidential campaign and in the first days after he was elected. At the time, Clinton said without qualification that he would end discrimination against homosexuals in the military.

Clinton`s remarks surprised people on both sides of the issue and raised eyebrows in the Pentagon, where officials studying ways to deploy gay soldiers said they had never considered segregation a serious option.

Organizations that had been urging Clinton to reverse the ban on homosexuals expressed alarm, asserting that his comments marked a retreat. But opponents welcomed the president`s remarks for the same reason, citing them as evidence that Clinton was giving in to pressure from top generals who had asserted that the ban was needed to preserve military discipline and spirit.

In recent weeks, Clinton had avoided public discussion of the issue. Shortly after taking office, he had sought to put the controversy to rest by delaying immediate action on his pledge, instructing Defense Secretary Les Aspin to write a new policy by July 15 that would examine whether homosexuals should be barred from ground combat and from warships, as women are now.

Asked whether he would support segregation of homosexual members of the service, Clinton referred to the report being drafted in the Pentagon. He said: ``That depends on what the report says. That`s why I`m waiting for the secretary of defense to issue the report. But I wouldn`t rule that out, depending on what the grounds and arguments were.``

Clinton did not comment on how homosexuals might be separated from heterosexuals -- in separate units or separate living quarters within the same unit.

Clinton addressed several other domestic issues, including how he would select a replacement for Justice Byron White, who has announced his retirement from the Supreme Court.

Asked whether he would ask potential nominees their position on abortion, Clinton said: ``I will not ask anybody how they will vote in a specific case.``

He said he would seek someone with ``a belief in a strong and broad right to constitutional privacy.``

Clinton also said he thought that most Americans would pay ``a little more`` in taxes for a better health-care system. As the Senate voted Tuesday on the framework of the president`s budget, he predicted that he would persuade reluctant senators to vote for his economic plan this week.

WHAT CLINTON SAID

-- He would not rule out limiting homosexuals` duty assignments if the ban on gays in the military is lifted.

-- The turmoil in Russia and elsewhere has not prompted a reassessment of his cutbacks in military spending. He said he has presented ``a responsible defense budget.``

-- His nominee for the Supreme Court will be someone ``who has certain deep convictions about the Constitution,`` including the right to privacy. But he said he would not ask Supreme Court nominees how they would vote in specific cases.

-- He is waiting until Attorney General Janet Reno has a chance to study the case before making a decision on the fate of embattled FBI Director William Sessions.

-- The health insurance plan he will announce in May will allow patients to pick the doctors of their choice.

-- Japan has shown no progress in reducing its huge trade surplus with the United States, and the possibility of open access to Tokyo`s markets ``is somewhat remote.``